Charlotte Hornets Could Lose Coach to Eastern Conference Rival

The Charlotte Hornets may lose a part of their coaching staff as Greensboro Swarm head coach DJ Bakker has emerged as a candidate for Sean Sweeney's staff with the Orlando Magic.

If Bakker does become an assistant coach under Sweeney, Hornets assistant coach Zach Peterson is a candidate to take over as the head coach for their G-League team, the Swarm.

Head coach Charles Lee has put together a strong staff, which helped Charlotte have a promising season, finishing with a 44-38 record. This was quite the turnaround, as they finished with a 19-63 record in the 2024-25 season.

The Hornets made it to the Play-In Tournament this season, beating the Miami Heat in the first game but falling to the Magic in the second Play-In Game.

While they narrowly missed out on the postseason, the 2025-26 season was a step in the right direction for the Hornets.

They have a talented young core led by LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller. Ball had a great year, averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three.

Knueppel was very impressive in his rookie campaign, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 18.5 points per game along with 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He shot 47.5 percent from the floor and 42.5 percent from deep. 

Miller also had a productive season in his third season in the league, as he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and a steal per game, shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from behind the arc.

With this young core, the Hornets are building toward being a playoff team and could make it there in the 2026-27 season with a good offseason.

While Lee may lose Bakker as the Swarm's head coach, they will still have a strong coaching staff in place with a talented young core that could make a playoff appearance for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

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